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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 373 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 373

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Senate should continue to 
  support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a critical national 
     resource that saves lives each day, and commemorate its 10th 
                              anniversary.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2006

 Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Leahy, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Senate should continue to 
  support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a critical national 
     resource that saves lives each day, and commemorate its 10th 
                              anniversary.

Whereas 2006 marks the 10th year that the Hotline has been answering calls and 
        saving lives;
Whereas, 10 years ago this month, the Hotline answered its first call;
Whereas the Hotline is a project of the Texas Council on Family Violence 
        headquartered in Austin, Texas, and provides crisis intervention, 
        information, and referral to victims of domestic violence, their 
        friends, and their families;
Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year;
Whereas the Hotline provides its users with anonymous assistance in more than 
        140 different languages, and a telecommunications device for the deaf, 
        deaf-blind, and hard of hearing;
Whereas the Hotline was created by Congress in the Violence Against Women Act of 
        1994 (Public Law 103-322; 108 Stat. 1902);
Whereas Congress continues its commitment to families of the United States by 
        strengthening and renewing this important legislation in 2000 and most 
        recently in December, 2005;
Whereas, since taking its first call in 1996, the Hotline has answered over 
        1,500,000 calls;
Whereas, since its inception, the Hotline has become a vital link to safety for 
        victims of domestic violence and their families;
Whereas today, Hotline advocates answer as many as 600 calls per day and an 
        average of 16,500 calls per month from women, men, and children from 
        across the United States;
Whereas, as public awareness grows about domestic violence, the Hotline has seen 
        a significant increase in call volume, with calls to the Hotline 
        increasing by 200 percent over the last 10 years;
Whereas, because no victim should ever get a busy signal, the Hotline recently 
        unveiled cutting edge technology that will allow more victims to connect 
        to life saving services; and
Whereas the 10th anniversary of the Hotline marks a true partnership between the 
        Federal Government and private businesses as each has come together in a 
        collaborative effort to save lives: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate should--
            (1) continue to support the National Domestic Violence 
        Hotline; and
            (2) commemorate the 10th anniversary of this critical 
        national resource that saves lives each day.
                                 <all>
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